ITALY - 2009

Italia Redux!

Many hours after leaving San Francisco, we finally got our first view of our beloved country when the Isle of Corsica appeared below us and soon we were flying above the coast, before turning inland for the descent to the Fiumicino. After an interminable wait for our luggage, we boarded the train that takes you to the Roma Termini, the city’s main train station. It was a hot, steamy Italian day, and our railcar was like an oven---I worried that Vicki was going to pass out. After an overpriced cab ride, we arrived at our little B&B in the Campo Marzio district, near the river. We barely fit into the tiny lift with our two bags, but we were soon greeted by our charming hostess, and shown to our small but comfortable room, which Vicki had found on the internet for 100 euro a night, a real bargain for Rome, with its high-priced hotels.

A lack of sleep on the flight meant a little nap before we ventured out, excitedly heading for our favorite bar on the Via dell’Orso, the street we stayed on last October. We were soon happily planted at a small table next to a heavenly smelling star jasmine, enjoying a Negroni, our favorite Italian cocktail.


Drinks and snacks at Papa's Bar, Roma

From there we walked over to view the always interesting scene at the Piazza Navona, where tourists gather at the Bernini fountains and wander through many displays of artwork offered for sale. We continued our walk towards the Campo d’Fiore, by way of the lovely Via Giulia, where one can peek through the gates at the beautiful gardens of the Villa Farnese. The campo was the usual evening mob scene and as we entered, we saw a new restaurant, a mozzarella bar

A tasting of mozzarella and Tuscan salami

called Obika, which offered “tastings” of different buffalo mozzarellas paired with various other accompaniments such as meats and vegetables. We chose an excellent full flavored cheese along with the Tuscan salami to go with our cocktails. We had a lovely couple of hours there and chatted with an interesting Italian couple, Elisabetta and Matteo, who enjoyed speaking English with us.

On our way back to the hotel we found ourselves hungry again so we stopped at a little restaurant called Ristorante Clemente on the Piazza Maddalena where we each had a nice bowl of pasta. After we had a gelato from San Crispino, banana and strawberry. Everyone else out walking was eating gelato too.

On our only full day in Rome we didn’t rise too early, but by nine we were headed back to the Campo d’Fiore where the market was already in full swing.


Ahh. A cappucino at Campo de Fiori

We sat in Vicki’s favorite bar/café and had a couple of cappuccinos before exploring the market. For anyone interested in food, or Italian culture for that matter, this market has marvelous displays of fish, meat, and the freshest of vegetables, much of it local, and almost all of it from Italy. There are also booths selling the usual t-shirts, hats, belts and other apparel, and at the west end, a huge offering of freshly cut flowers and plants.

Produce at the Campo de Fiori market

We left the campo and walked across the Tiber river to the Villa Farnesina, built by Antonio Chigi in the early sixteenth-century, now a museum and part of the Italian National Academy of Sciences. The villa is seldom visited by tourists despite having incredible frescoes painted by Rafaello and his studio. As long as we were over the river in Trastevere, we decided to go to our favorite pizza bakery. Located on a narrow little street, Al Forno is a pretty nondescript place that sells lots of freshly baked loaves of bread. We go there, however, for the pizza al taglio —pizza-by-the-piece. There are usually four or five sheets of pizza sitting behind a glass display counter; the toppings vary from day to day. You tell them what you want and how much and they cut you a slice and place it on a paper plate. A can of soda and you’re all set to take it away or sit on a stool at a narrow counter that runs all along the side of the restaurant. Today, we had tonno and carciofi—tuna and artichoke, and a margherita with the traditional cheese and pomodoro sauce.

Pizza at Forno Renella

After our pizza we walked back to our room for a nap and a break from the heat. Early evening found us back at a table at the little bar on the Via del’Orso. We planned to have cocktails and then go find a trattoria we’d read about in the NY Times, but we got pretty settled in, watching the world walk by, from tourists to locals, and even a religious procession. We spent a long time talking to Jakob and Petra, a charming couple from Holland who were visiting Rome for a few days. It was very enlightening to learn that wooden shoes are now longer part of Dutch apparel and modern engineering has supplanted the need for a finger in the dike.